Big Bang Evidence

Redshift ofgalaxies

Backgroundradiation

Primordialelements

Spread ofgalaxies

Moving away fromeach other as if

from an explosion

Galaxies appear toage- universe had

a beginning

Heat from explosionhas been detected

everywhere

Hydrogen+heliumamounts today

suggest explosion

Big Bang Strengths

Physical evidence

supports it

Independently checked

by scientists

Universe is not infinite,everything

is in decay

Neutral- does not set out to support

belief system

Big Bang Weaknesses: physical evidence

The horizon problem

Temperatures atopposite ends of theuniverse should be

different but they arethe same

The flatnessproblem

Universe is curved.Big Bang would notproduce a curvedUniverse but it is

curved

Magnetic monopole

Should produceparticles but none

can be detected which means that this

evidence is missing

AgeTests

Estimates of theage of the universevary so much thatthey cannot really

be trusted

e.g. cmb, primordialelements

e.g. alwaysbeing

reviewed

e.g. everythinggets old and

dies

e.g. not tryingto prove or

Disprove God

Big Bang Weaknesses: other considerations

Add ons Paradigm Assumptions

Add to the theoryto make it work

Currently acceptedapproach

Assumptions aboutnatural laws

Making it up asthey go along

Other approachesnot accepted

Assumptions could be wrong

weaknesses not widely accepted in the scientific community

Big Bang Issues for Belief in God…

God is not the

first cause

Mega-intelligence behind it not God as we know him.

No Big Bang

Big Bang is God’s way of creating.

Big Bang requires a First Cause - could be God.

Challenge Responses

Creationist

Six day creation as in Bible

Liberal/Conservative

l

Liberal

Scientific Materialist

Science will explain everything

Bible answers the why questions, not the how

The Big Bang is how it all started.

Evidence for Big Bang is conflicting

Big Bang is only a theory

Big Bang could be wrong

The Bible tells exactly how it all

began

Historic Creationist

Evidence for Big Bang is strong but

incomplete

Bible not a scientific textbook

Theories about origins may change in the

future

Theistic Creationist

Evidence points to a Big

Bang

Creationists evidence of a

young earth is not reliable

God used the Big Bang to create the

universe

Bible is religious not scientific

Genesis can accommodate an ancient universe

Scientific Materialist

Evidence points to there being a

beginning

Origin can be explained naturally

Science has scope to change

its view - religious people do not.

The Big Bang has shown that the Bible is wrong about how the world was created.

Traditional No

Creation happened after God spoke

Big Bang not mentioned in Genesis

Big Bang is only a theory

6x24 hr days to make world

Christians should not move away from the Bible-

Don’t add anything to the Bible

The order of creation is right

World is about 10,000 years old and has the appearance of age

Conservative

Bible is true but requires careful interpretation

Big Bang is God’s way of creating

Earth is billions of years old

Order of creation in Genesis is roughly right

Gap Theory

In Between

Liberal

Traditionalists don’t agree on meaning of Genesis days

Bible is not historical

OT is allegorical

Big Bang confirms God’s existence

Basic ideas of Genesis are intact i.e. God created the universe

The universe has order

The universe is good and God has a purpose for the universe

IntegrationistBible has nothing to add to origins debate, should be ignored

God could have started it off and then left it

A Supreme Being is required but not as per Genesis

The Big Bang does not spell the end for Genesis- it spells the end for its literal interpretation.

The Big Bang has shown that the Bible is wrong about how the world was created.

QualifiedYes

Yes

Scientific Materialism Dawkins “utterly trivial resemblance”

Origins can be explained by the Big Bang

There is nothing in the Bible about this because the people that wrote the Bible did not have the science that we have

The Big Bang has shown that the Bible is wrong about how the world was created.

Yes

The Big Bang Challenges Christian Beliefs

A challenge because:

It says the universe is here by chance – no need for God

It says that God not design the universe

It says that natural processes created the universe

It says that the Genesis account is inaccurate

It says that humans have no special place in creation

The Big Bang Supports the Existence of GodProves the universe is finite-

means it had a beginning

Can’t have an infinite chain of causes-

The universe has order- provesthat something was behind it

Laws of nature pre-existed theBig BangDeviser of laws required

God is the cause of theBig Bang

Things cannot cause themselvesThe Big Bang was caused by

something- GOD

Is Earth at thecentre of the Universe

Creationists say…We do not know

There is probably no centre

We were created inGod’s image so are

special

God created everythingfor a special purpose-

that includes Earth

Conservatives,Liberals and

Integrationists say…It is not a major issue

Important thing is torelate to God not toworry about pecking

order

God is creator of thewhole universenot just Earth

God willed the atomsthat make us up

to exist

Scientific MaterialistsSay…

God did not create theUniverse for one often million species

On Earth

The Earth is just anorbiting dot in spaceWe have no special

place or purposeWe are simply part of

a natural process